


the art of being a good BatsiblingTM

by Acin_Grayson



Series: in which a boy is trans [2]
Category: DCU, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Family Feels, Gen, Good Sibling Jason Todd, Good Sibling Tim Drake, Trans Character, Trans Dick Grayson, Transphobia, reclaiming platonic affection from the hellpit of toxic masculinity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-09-30 18:48:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20451860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acin_Grayson/pseuds/Acin_Grayson
Summary: It's the little things that count. Probably.(They're gonna do big things anyway)





	the art of being a good BatsiblingTM

**Author's Note:**

> credit to @audreycritter for 'reclaiming platonic affection from the hellpit of toxic masculinity' (go read their shit its glorious)
> 
> this is kinda going to be oneshots thrown together under the common theme of 'batsiblings giving Dickiebird love' in the Boy Is Trans verse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It starts with Jason barging into Dick’s room, acting as if there wasn’t a lock and he hadn’t just picked it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dick is about 14 and Jason is probably 10, going on 11. Jay's been living at the manor for something like 6 months. 
> 
> **warnings** for this chapter are mostly cussing and excessive crying. Jason is a mentioned to be touch-averse a couple times, but i dont go into detail about it. Dick has internalized a little bit of toxic masculinity but Jason sets him straight

It starts with Jason barging into Dick’s room, acting as if there wasn’t a lock and he hadn’t just picked it. 

“Hey Dick, I- what's wrong?”

Dick is sitting on the ground, curled on himself and pressed into the space between his bed and the desk. He looks up, surprised, when he hears Jason enter. (The fact that he hadn’t heard the doorknob jiggling was worrisome. Jason was good, but not good enough to go unnoticed in _ Batman’s _ house.)

The older boy smears his face into his sweater sleeve (which does nothing for how red and blotchy it is) and tries to stand.

Ugh, _ feelings_.

“Nothing, Jason. What'd you need?” His voice is even all nasal from the snot. _ Gross. _

“Forget it.” He waves his hand dismissively, trying to think of what might be going on that would make Dick _ cry_. “What's wrong?” he repeats.

“I'm fine,” the older boy denies, irritation playing across his face.

“Bullshit,” Jason snaps back

“It's nothing, I swear, I'm just being stupid.”

“Again, _ bullshit_.”

“I'm not crying!”

“It's okay to cry, Dick,” he tries, but his reassurance only makes Dick angrier. Jason is so _ very _not qualified for this.

“I am not _ crying_, dammit!” The older boy roars, stepping forward to force Jason back. “Do I look like a _ fucking _ girl to you?”

Of all the toxic bullshit his brother could absorb- 

Jason slips down to sit with his legs crossed. Better to seem nonthreatening, he figures. “Dick, crying does not make you any less of a man. Tears are your brain washing out the chemicals from strong emotions.”

Dick stands there trembling with all the tension that clung to him, before crumpling to the floor, shoving his face into his hands, and _ sobbing_.

Feeling awkward, Jason scooted closer. He raised a hand, then hesitated, debating whether to give the older boy a hug. Personally, he would _ despise _ having somebody grab him without warning while vulnerable. Dick, however, seemed to be all about the touching literally _ all the time _, and might want one.

He decides on a healthy middle ground of placing a hand on his brother’s knee, rubbing his thumb back and forth.

(This was appropriately consoling, right?)

Neither of them said anything, but after a while, Dick’s shoulders stopped shaking.

Eventually, Dick uncurled, scrubbing at his face again. “Thanks,” he mumbled, half smothering it behind the sleeve of his obnoxious Superman sweater.

Jason only nodded.

The younger boy was well aware of his failings as a brother. Sure, he was free with verbal affirmations and reassurances, but those didn’t help Dick a whole lot. He was _ best _comforted with physical affection, often on a level simply beyond what Jason could tolerate.

Bruce says he’s making progress, but it doesn’t feel like enough. Not when his older brother was sitting here looking like every bad thing ever was weighing on his shoulders, and Jason couldn’t _ really _ help him.

Still, he supposes, better to do what he _ can _rather than nothing at all.

Steeling his resolve, Jason speaks. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Dick looks away, expression sombre. “Not really.”

Damn. Well, he’s not going to abandon the poor bastard while obviously miserable.

He starts wracking his brain for options. He can’t do touching, Dick doesn’t want to talk, what other pseudo-therapeutic activities are there?

“Do you wanna watch a movie?” he proposes, hoping his nervousness isn’t audible.

To his relief, Dick gives him a watery smile. “Yeah, Jay,” he agrees. “That’d be great.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there is is NOTHING wrong with crying. what Jason says here is true! tears really are your body flushing the chemicals of strong emotions from your brain.
> 
> probs TMI but i started writing this piece in 2017 when a sibling was intentionally deadnaming me. he was young, and angry, and probably didn't fully understand what he was doing, but that doesn't make what he did any less hurtful. i wrote this to reassure myself because at the time crying made me incredibly dysphoric. im still working through a lot of toxic masculinity, as well as behaviors our society instills in afab folks. i'm getting better, though.


End file.
